London Knights forward Easton Cowan chews on his mouthguard while skating with the puck during a practice Thursday at the Sun Life Coliseum in Rimouski, Que. ahead of the 105th Memorial Cup.-- NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
RIMOUSKI, QUE.
The London Knights enter the 2025 Memorial Cup with some unfinished business.
The OHL’s back-to-back champions fell just short in the 2024 tournament, losing in the last 20 seconds of the tournament’s final to fellow OHL club, host Saginaw Spirit. Saginaw scored with 22 seconds left in the final to win the Memorial Cup, sparking a fire for the Knights that has lasted 12 months.
“We’ve been motivated ever since we lost last year and we’re just excited to get going,” forward Easton Cowan said. “We have a good team here. Obviously that was a heartbreaking loss, so we’re looking to win it this year.”
The Knights were the top team in the Ontario Hockey League this season, winning 55 games before going 16-1 in the playoffs en route to repeating as champions, winning their sixth championship. Head coach Dale Hunter says there were some lessons learned from the 2024 tournament loss.
“We have a lot of returning players and they realize that it’s a tough tournament so they’re ready for it, “Hunter said. “We lost with 20 seconds left and that hurts, but that’s how tough the tournament is.”
He shook off any idea that the Knights, playing in their second straight tournament, were a favourite.
“To get to this (point), to go through their leagues and to win four rounds is tough, it’s tough on the boys and that’s what’s challenging about it. To be here like this, they’re all good teams and that’s what it is all about.”
London is off Friday before playing back-to-back games to get their tournament underway. They face the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday and the host Oceanic on Sunday. It’s a similar schedule to last year’s tournament where they played on the second night as well. It provides both an advantage and a challenge, forward Sam O’Reilly says.
“We don’t really look too much into that,” the Edmonton Oilers prospect said. “It’d be nice to play earlier, but, I mean, the wait is getting us more ready for it. Guys are resting up and we’re hoping to all be 100 per cent for this game tomorrow.”
O’Reilly entered the 2024 tournament as an undrafted 18-year-old, putting up five goals and 12 points in 17 playoff games that season after a regular season of 20 goals and 56 points in 68 games. He says the tournament offers a good opportunity for younger players to show up and show out while all playing for the same goal.
“You can prove yourself a lot more here, these are the biggest games of the year,” O’Reilly said. “That’s what teams want, players who play in big games like that. It’s good for young guys, but for everybody else here, it’s a good showing for all of us and our team and it’ll be fun.”
Cowan, a prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, led the OHL in playoff scoring with 13 goals and 39 points in 17 games. His career postseason totals of 96 points is the Knights’ record, passing former Knights star Rob Schremp, who tallied 90 points between the Mississauga IceDogs and London from 2002 to 2006.
He says the older players on the Knights, those who played in the 2024 tournament in Saginaw, have been leading the way with tips for those playing in their first Memorial Cup tournament.
“They’ll come up to older guys here and there and just ask for tips, they have all year,” Cowan said. “We have a great group of guys, everyone’s close. Anyone can talk to anyone, so we’re just going to continue that here.”
One of those new faces includes their starting goaltender Austin Elliot. The 21-year-old joined the Knights after clearing through WHL waivers this season after spending four years and suiting up in 85 games with the Saskatoon Blades.
Elliott went a combined 48-2 in the regular season and playoffs, recording four combined shutouts.
“There’s just less room for error,” Elliott said as some advice he’s been told from teammates. “It all comes down to a couple games. So everyone has to be ready to go from the first game. Every game matters, so you just have to be good.”
The Knights’ lone loss of the playoffs came in the OHL finals, dropping Game 1 to the Oshawa Generals. They responded winning four straight to capture the title.
